Hearts & Other Body Parts - Hardcover

Ira Bloom makes his literary debut with Hearts & Other Body Parts. Previously, Ira was a teacher of junior high English, ESL, and Japanese for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Ira and his wife currently operate a fashion and vintage kimono business, and he is something of an expert on Japanese textiles. Ira lives in Northern California with his family and an assortment of furry beasts. None have proven to be demons . . . yet.

Gr 8 Up—Esmeralda "Esme" Silver has a pretty good life. She has two great younger sisters named Katy and Veronica, is on track to attend Stanford when she graduates, and is a practicing witch. Esme becomes fascinated when a monstrous boy named Norman moves to town. She is challenged by his intellect and wit, and the two become fast friends. That is, until Zach Kallas moves to town. He catches the eye of both Katy and Veronica, and Esme falls prey to his charms as well. The only problem? Zach is a vampire with a habit of killing girls who develop feelings for him. Norm struggles to bring Esme to her senses, but will he be too late? This debut novel attempts to modernize and update characters such as Frankenstein and Dracula by changing their names, turning them into teenagers, and placing them in a high school setting. Unfortunately, the dialogue is confusing, with many attempts at humor that fall short. Even more confounding is the inclusion of Esme's "demon cat," Kasha, her "familiar" who speaks English aloud and has served the Silver family for generations. As the story progresses, Kasha's speech and intent are never truly made clear. The cat is obviously an attempt at comic relief that just doesn't land on its feet. VERDICT A supplemental purchase for collections that need additional horror titles.—Ryan P. Donovan, Southborough Public Library, MA